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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The members of the Graham High School Rocketeer |
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Steers team distinguished themselves by placing third in the |
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StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge held in |
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Colorado April 6-8, 2017; and |
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WHEREAS, Established by the Air Force Association, |
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StellarXplorers helps promote student engagement in science, |
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technology, engineering, and mathematics through a challenging |
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space-system design competition; the contest began in October 2016 |
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with more than 130 teams registered from 30 states and 2 overseas |
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locations, and Graham High School advanced to the national event |
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after outstanding showings in the qualifying and semifinals rounds; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In the finals, the squad faced off against nine |
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other teams, completing an exercise that involved meeting a set of |
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space-mission requirements; the Rocketeer Steers had eight hours to |
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define an optimal satellite orbit, select spacecraft components, |
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and choose rocket boosters, and the next day, they presented a |
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briefing about their solution to a panel of expert judges; with |
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their third-place finish, the members each received an educational |
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grant sponsored by the U.S. Air Force STEM Program and the United |
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Launch Alliance; and |
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WHEREAS, Benefiting from the guidance of team director |
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Michelle Lowery, the members of the Rocketeer Steers are Connor |
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Wolfe, Nicholas Saunders, Jonah Qualls, Smith Graham, and Garrett |
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Gatlin; and |
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WHEREAS, With their fine performance on the national stage, |
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these notable young Texans have garnered the respect of their |
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classmates and fellow competitors, and the confidence, skills, and |
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experience they have gained through the StellarXplorers program |
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will be of great use to them in their future endeavors; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate the members of the Graham High |
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School Rocketeer Steers on their third-place finish in the 2017 |
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StellarXplorers III National High School Space Challenge and extend |
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to the squad's members and director sincere best wishes for the |
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future; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the team as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |